


PART 5 - Past Mistakes

by Syndcates



Series: Rough Seas - Mianite [5]
Category: Mianite - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Enemies to Friends, Eye Trauma, F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Love Confessions, Love Letters, M/M, Multi, No Smut, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Realm of Mianite, Secret Relationship, Slow Burn, Threesome - F/M/M, whew theres a lot going on in these tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:21:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23366878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syndcates/pseuds/Syndcates
Summary: The Ianitee's have stormed Inertia, rescuing one of their own, and another being left behind, the city itself in shambles. Now, they move forwards, intent on rescuing their leader. Dianite deals with the losses faced during the siege and the possibility of one of his men turning against him. Tom learns where his heart lies, and reconciles with an old friend. The Ianitee's find themselves with a new, and unexpected, ally.
Relationships: Tom Cassell/Jordan Maron, Tom Cassell/Jordan Maron/Captain Capsize
Series: Rough Seas - Mianite [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1052864
Comments: 12
Kudos: 20





	1. 42 - Into the Night

This was stupid. Tom knew this to be a fact. Well, at least he had never been known for planning ahead.

He pressed himself up against the stone wall, hand clasped over his mouth in the desperate hope that he wouldn’t get caught. Not out here. Not now.

The shadows moved on, the torchlight gradually fading until the shadows crept back in bringing quiet with them. Tom let out a long exhale, letting his eyes close, his head falling back against the stone. This was so stupid. He was going to get caught and brought back to Dianite, who would certainly not be pleased, especially with the recent attack. Being found sneaking out of the city late at night with no warning? That would only make things worse, and Tom didn’t exactly want the brunt of Dianite’s anger to be on him.

No, it was far safer to not be found, although that was proving to be more difficult than Tom realized. He wished Nade was here. Nade had always been better at moving around undetected, and right now, that could prove useful. Tom rubbed his sticky palms against the rough material of his trousers. His burn was itching, and Tom seriously wished he had brought a bag or something. But no, he had just jumped into this without a plan as he did most things.

Alright. He could do this.

-

Unsurprisingly, he couldn’t ‘do this’. Tom begrudgingly let the soldier check him for wounds, letting the young man’s anxious ramblings fill the silence around them. He had expected being caught, although not by someone this… young? Gods, was Dianite equipping teenagers with weapons and expecting them to fight? His mood shifted, and he must have grimaced because the young man was backing off, raising his hands, obvious terror in his eyes.

“S-So sorry sir, I-I mean Champion, er-” Tom sighed, forcibly wiping the grimace away. It would do him no good to have a scared kid on his hands when talking to Dianite. Plus, he didn’t want to make the kid scared or anything.

“It’s fine. Call me Tom,” He watched the kid nod, eyes still fearful but moving farther away from hyperventilating. “What’s your name?” The kid blinked owlishly up at him. Tom resisted the urge to groan.

“I-It’s Robert si- uh, Tom,” Robert smiled awkwardly at him, and Tom nodded, watching as Robert ran a hand through his cropped dark hair nervously. “I-I know it’s really none of my business but uh… What are you doing out here?” Tom’s jaw clenched, and for a moment, he almost wanted to tell the kid, _Robert_ , the truth.

That he had wanted to leave the city. That he had wanted to leave with the Ianitee’s ( _his_ Ianitee’s). Instead, he had gotten caught up with seeing Ianite in the cells, flashing back to seeing Rupert in the same position, mind descending into panic. By the time he had gotten out of it, it had been noon. A full day since the beginning of the attack. At some moments it felt like he had just seen Jordan and Katherine just minutes ago; at others, he felt like he was attempting to recall a distant memory. Either way, it had been messing with his perception of time. Adding his sleep-deprived state and the lack of adrenaline only made it worse.

Enough that Dianite had recognized that he was exhausted and had let Tom return to his room. Alone. Where he had promptly face-planted into his bed with his armour still on and slept for a couple of hours. He had only meant to get a couple of minutes of rest, and then pick some food up at the kitchens. But no, when he had opened his eyes, it had been dark outside. And his hands and feet had been numb because he left his bracers and boots on. He had been tired, aching and bruised, and he had distantly remembered sitting in the hull of Katherine’s ship, listening to her tell stories. The memory had very nearly made him cry, and he had been so filled with longing that he had tugged his armour off and left.

And then he had failed miserably because he was unable to plan ahead, as per usual. Tom blinked, realizing that Robert was still staring at him, seemingly unfazed by Tom’s long period of silence. He shook his head slightly, forcing himself into the moment.

“Sorry. I just… needed to get away. From,” Tom waved his hands at the rubble and ash around them, “everything.” Robert nodded, glancing around them. They were standing by the remnants of a house, the roof collapsed in on itself, dust still settling. It was eerily quiet around them, shadows pushing in on all sides.

“I understand,” Robert said quietly, ducking his head. Tom resisted the urge to put his arm around the kid. Gods, he was just a kid, wasn’t he? What was he doing here? Tom pushed back the memories of himself during his late teens. Just because tradition called for a champion to begin training at a young age didn’t mean that kids this young should be recruited into the army. Tom swallowed, his chest hurting slightly. Instead, he patted Robert on the shoulder, giving the kid a tired smile as he looked up, eyes wide.

“Come on,” Tom jerked his head in the direction of the temple. He might as well make sure the kid made it home safe. It was the least he could do, in reality. “I’ll walk you back to the barracks.” A smile crept across Robert’s face, a glimmer of excitement sparkling in his eyes.

“If you want to,” Robert was beaming now, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Tom took the lead, allowing Robert to walk beside him, chatting on about nothing in particular. It was nice, Tom realized. A nice thing before he had to face Dianite’s anger.

-

As expected, Dianite was not pleased in the slightest. Dianite had put up a nice facade for Robert, yes, making sure that he was escorted back to the barracks. Tom had stood by in silence, carefully avoiding Dianite’s eyes. Now he was waiting for Dianite to do something, anything. But no, instead Dianite had decided to do some work at his desk.

It was stifling in the room, and Tom could feel a bead of sweat trickle down from his temple. He swallowed, eyes firmly on the floorboards, hands clasped behind his back. The burn on his arm was beginning to sting again, but Tom pushed back the ache. Not now. He had been standing there for some time, almost an hour before Dianite decided to speak.

“Thomas, Thomas, Thomas,” Dianite sighed, dropping the papers he was holding and casually standing from his chair. “You know, I had thought that most of your… _disobedience_ had been trained out of you.” Tom gritted his teeth but fought back the urge to reply. “But no, I just _happen_ to learn that you were skulking around the city limits in the dead of night.” Dianite raised his hand, almost as if to strike Tom. Closing his eyes, Tom grimaced slightly. When the pain didn’t come, he slowly opened his eyes, watching Dianite stalk back to his desk.

“My lord?” Tom said, raising his eyes to meet Dianite. The god simply raised an eyebrow at him, a cold expression on his face. “What will-” Tom’s mouth clicked shut as Dianite spoke.

“Training duty for four months.” Dianite’s voice was sharp, a sneer crawling its way onto his face. “Maybe you can teach that _boy_ who brought you in something useful. Dismissed.” He waved his hand at Tom lazily, already turning back to his work. Tom nodded, placing a hand over his heart and giving Dianite a short bow.

He had just opened the door when Dianite spoke again.

“Oh, and Thomas?” Dianite’s voice was low, and Tom could hear the smirk there without having to turn around.

“Yes, my lord?” Tom felt a chill go down his spine, swallowing reflexively. Dianite chuckled, deep and sinister before replying.

“Meet me in the cells after you’ve concluded your business. I have something I need to show you.” Fear curled in Tom’s gut, and he gripped the door handle with a white-knuckled grip.

“Of course, my lord.” Tom had to force the words out, his mouth feeling dry. Closing the door behind him with a small thud, Tom shivered, curling his hands in an attempt to stop them from shaking. He was fine. Tom breathed, relieved, the tightness around his chest lessening as left Dianite’s office behind him.


	2. 43 - Moving Forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MIANITE IS BACK BABEY!!!!! have a chapter :)

Tensions were high as the Ianitee’s packed up their camp. Everyone was wary of a counter-attack from Dianite. Plus, with Lady Ianite having been captured, the likelihood of Dianite attempting to wipe our most of Ianite’s forces was much, much higher.

Jordan sighed, rubbing at his forehead. They weren’t safe here, just outside of the city, but travelling back to Ianarea would have them go through more of Dianite’s territory, leaving them open to an attack from Dianite. How Dianite had managed to capture his lady, Jordan didn’t know. All he did know was that they were in danger, Ianite was being held captive by their worst enemy, and all he wanted to do was make sure that the people he loved were safe. Apparently, that was too much to ask for.

Jordan wanted to pull at his hair. Sitting around and moping was doing nothing for him or his people. Leaning over the war table, Jordan drummed his fingers against the smooth wood, letting himself peer down at the weathered map. There would be a way out of this - he just had to find it.

-

Across the camp, Katherine had been shunted off outside of the tent while the healers checked her brother over again. Around her, people were packing their things, removing the poles of their tents from the ground. There was a gentle fog swirling about at her ankles, the sky above her beginning to lighten with the oncoming dawn. Katherine rubbed at her eyes, exhaustion settling over her. She wished they could stay and rest for one day longer, just so that everyone could sleep. Just one more day, and then they could all leave well-rested.

But no, they were forced to pack up their things due to the threat, and while Katherine didn't like it, she knew it was smart. They couldn't stay here, among the outskirts of the farmland surrounding the city. Dianite was like a predator; he would pounce as soon as they seemed weak. Turning her head back to the inside of the tent, Katherine sighed. She didn't envy Tom, but being able to sleep indoors sounded wonderful at the moment.

Rupert was sitting up in his cot, a blanket pulled around his shoulders. The right side of his face was freshly bandaged, and for a moment Katherine was overcome with burning rage. She swallowed, willing her hands to stop shaking.

“Kath-” Rupert began, his voice weary, but Katherine threw her arms around him, letting herself cry into his shoulder. He wrapped around her in return, and they silently rocked back and forth for a few minutes. Shifting away, Katherine sat beside Rupert on the small field cot, sitting almost entirely pressed against one another. Rupert pulled the blanket around the two of them, and they sat, the silence around them almost stifling.

“Rupert,” Katherine said, wiping at her cheeks with the palms of her hands. Rupert gave her a shaky smile, grasping at one of her hands to interlock with his. “I’m sorry.” She pressed her shoulder to his, feeling Rupert sag slightly against her.

“It’s not your fault, Katherine.” Rupert murmured after a moment. “It’s no one’s fault but Dianite and Furia’s,” His mouth twitched with a sneer, eye darkening with an emotion Katherine hadn’t seen from her brother in some time. Hate.

“I killed him.” She said, her mouth moving before she had time to think. Katherine swallowed, her eyes darting down to her lap, shame overcoming her. While she had hated Furia, killing him had still made her feel horrific. She had taken a life to attempt to save one, and it hadn’t even been necessary. That went against everything she knew as an Ianitee - everything she knew as a _person_.

“Who?” Rupert’s voice was small, and Katherine shrunk away from him, unable to meet his gaze. “Katherine…”

“Furia.” She felt Rupert stiffen beside her and blinked at the tears forming in her eyes. “I-I killed him, and… and it felt good.” Katherine closed her eyes, pinching her mouth closed as she attempted not to cry.

“Kath… Katherine.” Rupert’s arm curled around her waist, his voice tender and gentle. “It’s alright, Katherine.” She bit back a cry at his words. Alright? How could this be alright? How could it be alright that she had taken a life without purpose? _No_ , a dark corner of her mind whispered. _There had been a purpose. Revenge_. Katherine squashed those thoughts down, refusing to believe them.

“Hey, hey Kath. Please look at me,” Rupert was wiping at her face, cradling her to him like she was a child again. Katherine clutched him tightly, letting herself sob into his chest, the rest of the world fading away. Her eyes were dry when she pulled away, and Katherine’s breath hitched, her face feeling warm. “Better now?” Rupert rubbed her back with his free hand, concern written plain on his face. Katherine nodded, taking a few deep breaths to compose herself.

“Yes. I-I just… Thank you, Rupert.” Her voice wavered slightly, but Rupert’s mouth curled into a smile. “I’m sorry about that, I just-” Rupert cut her off, his voice gentle but firm.

“Katherine, it’s alright. I understand,” He sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck. “But you did something that positively affected all of us.” Rupert’s hand waved at the tents around them, the people bustling around. “Furia can’t hurt me anymore. He can’t hurt _anyone_ ever again.” There was a grim smile on his face, an almost spiteful look in his eye. “If you had to kill him to do it, then…” Shrugging, Rupert ruffled her hair. “You did what you had to.” Katherine mulled over his words, gnawing at her lip slightly.

“That helps a little. Thank you, Rupert,” Katherine pressed a kiss to his cheek, watching Rupert fake a scowl. “I should probably go,” She glanced outside the tent, where things were being packed up and moved, people taking down their tents just as quickly as they had been set up. Katherine knew, rationally, that she should be out there, helping, or planning with Jordan, or something. But instead, she wanted to stay here, with Rupert. Safe from the world, if only for a moment. Rupert squeezed her hand and withdrew it as if reading her thoughts.

“Go.” He said, not unkindly. “I’ll be here.”

“Promise?” She said, almost hating how childish and small her voice sounded. Rupert stuck out his pinky, smiling softly.

“Promise.” His smile grew as she locked her pinkie with his, before untangling herself from the blanket. Wiping at her face again, Katherine smiled at her brother, before she left the tent. Taking in a breath, Katherine trudged through the camp, determination settling into her.

Dianite had done so much harm to those she loved. Katherine quietly promised herself that he wouldn’t do anymore.

-

Jordan's fingers trailed across the lines of the map, faded ink smudged and blurred in some areas. His eyes darted from Dianite's territory to Ianite's, searching across mountains and lakes for their way out. For their escape. A soft hand touched his shoulder, and Jordan's eyes flicked to his right, where Martha stood, a sad smile on her face.

"We've almost packed up everyone," Her quiet voice was steady and calm, but her eyes were worried. Jordan nodded, glancing back down at the map. It was taunting him, he just knew it. "Just have to pack up the medic's tent's, and this one," Martha gestured around them with one hand, "And we'll be all set."

"If I can ever figure out where we should go," Jordan lent back from the table, crossing his arms across his chest. To get anywhere close to Ianite's territory they would have to travel through weeks of Dianitee land. Even then, it was unlikely that they would be able to avoid an attack from Dianite or his people while travelling through his territory. Martha hummed, coming to stand beside him. They looked over the map in silence for a few minutes, two sets of eyes darting across it.

"We... well, I'm not exactly sure how you'll take this," Martha hesitantly reached over the map, fingers dancing along the etched lines of a mountain range, "We could go to Mianite." Jordan pressed his palm to his chin, eyes squinting and tilting his head to consider the map.

"We could," Jordan said after a moment, "But would he really appreciate an army in his territory? He usually doesn't like to get involved in these sorts of conflicts."

"True. But none of these types of conflicts has ever led to a god being imprisoned." Martha tapped the mountain range twice. "If Mianite agreed to bring us in, it would lessen our travel time."

"That's if we even get to the mountains," Jordan shot back, a grim frown settled on his face, "Plus, we'd have to survive the mountains after. Dianite knows we have to flee. He'll chase us." Martha huffed, her shoulders squaring, a similar frown settling over her own face.

"He'll chase us no matter where we go." She said decisively. "Besides, it's not like we have many options left. Unless you'd like to attack Dianite with just our army."

"What are we arguing about now?" Katherine's voice was laced with humour as she stepped into the tent. Her easy-going grin faded into something more sombre when she saw the two of them, both frowning grimly over the map. Martha gave her a tight-lipped smile before replying.

"We have to decide where we'll go. I think we should ask Mianite for assistance." Katherine nodded, standing across from them.

"It's still risky," Jordan said, "Even if we get Mianite to agree, we may not all get through the mountains." He paused for a moment, grimacing. "I'd like to keep the losses to a minimum." Katherine rubbed her forehead, letting out a slow sigh.

“We should at least try and contact Mianite.” She said after a moment. “The worst thing that happens is that he says no.” The corner of her mouth twitched with a smile. “If we get in contact with him, at least then he knows about what Dianite’s done.” Marthe glanced over to Jordan, who gave her a sharp nod.

“Might as well, right?” Jordan weakly smiled at her, a weight settling across his shoulders. Martha returned his smile and stepped out of the tent. Katherine and Jordan watched her disappear into the crowd, the silence growing with her retreat. After a moment, Katherine spoke up.

“I talked to Rupert.” Jordan hummed, rubbing his hand across his mouth. Katherine didn’t meet his eyes, instead, coming around to his side of the table. Now that she was closer, he could see the red tinge to her eyes, the slight puff to her cheeks that indicated she had been crying.

“You alright?” Jordan placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. Katherine sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, there was a glimmer of sadness.

“I told him about Furia.” She said, shifting closer to Jordan. Jordan nodded, allowing Katherine to rest her head on his shoulder, his arm looping around her.

“Did it go well?” Katherine huffed slightly.

“As well as I could hope for.” Her smile faded and instead was replaced by a frown. “I’m still… struggling with it.” She sighed, withdrawing from his arms.

“Anyone would be, Kath,” Jordan said quietly, “It’s normal.”

“I know that! It’s just,” Katherine groaned and dropped her head into her hands, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes, “I’m just worried.” She said after a moment.

“About us?” Jordan asked, leaning against the table, his arms crossing over his chest. Katherine shrugged, her face still hidden in her hands.

“Us, and Ianite, and Rupert, and, well…” Katherine’s frustration was clear in her voice, and the identity of the unspoken person went unsaid between them. Jordan sighed, looking away from Katherine’s slumped figure to look at the map. He bit his lip, fingers tracing over the large letters of ‘Inertia’. Tom wasn’t safe, couldn’t be safe. Not when he was trapped there. Not with Dianite.

“I know.” Jordan swallowed, his eyes closing. “I miss him too.”

“I just… wanted to do more. But we can’t.” Katherine sniffled, and Jordan glanced over to her to see her wiping at her eyes.

“We can’t now,” Jordan replied after a moment. He glanced down at the map, a small flicker of hope building in his chest. “But we can later. Once we’re safe.” Katherine smiled sadly at him, her hand moving over to grasp his own. They both stared down at the capital, their minds far, far away from their location.

-

The last of the tents were being packed away and Jordan sighed, staring out over the troops, the sun just peeking over the horizon. Many of the wounded were being packed onto wagons and carts if they could spare the room. Some joined their friends on horses if they weren’t too bad off. At least Rupert had been well enough to ride, Jordan mused. He knew Rupert and knew that the man hated to feel like a burden.

Jordan smiled as he saw Katherine climb atop her horse, Rupert hanging on to his younger sister. They both waved when they saw him, and Jordan found himself grinning and waving back. Katherine, along with a couple of others would be leading the charge, while Jordan waited near the back. When Ianite had travelled with them, she had ridden in the front and him in the back. As a champion, he was responsible for making sure that no one got left behind. He trusted Katherine enough to lead them to safety - although, he still didn’t know where they were going.

Rushed footsteps approached him, and Jordan turned to see Martha hurriedly making her way towards him. His stomach churned slightly, a sense of unease settling across him. Gods, this was it. If Mianite was going to help them, they would find out now. If not…

Well, Jordan didn’t want to think about what would happen to them if that were the case.

Martha came to a stop beside him, taking a moment to brush her hair out of her face. She beamed at him, excitement radiating off her body.

“Mianite agreed to help.” Jordan sagged with relief, a smile spreading across his face.

“Thank the gods for that.” Martha nodded in agreement.

“He’ll meet up with us in the mountain range. And he said that I could send him a message if we got lost.” Martha huffed with a laugh, muttering something under her breath about never getting lost. Jordan sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“Go tell Katherine,” He said, nodding to where Katherine and Rupert had been. “And maybe stay with them, if you know the way.” Martha dipped her head at him before scampering away, towards Katherine and Rupert. He watched her leave, hope blooming in his chest. Maybe they did have a chance after all.

**Author's Note:**

> ohhhh I'm back baby!! also my writing style changed so much since chapter 41 safdjsdkjh


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